


Before The Storm

by Miranda_tries_their_best



Series: Lost and Found - Zombie AU [6]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Blindness, Depression, Hurt/Comfort, I swear, Implied/Referenced Character Death, No One is dead but none of them know that, Panic Attacks, Past Child Abuse, Scars, We're getting to that happy ending you guys, Zombie Apocalypse, Zombie Bites
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:14:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22529953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miranda_tries_their_best/pseuds/Miranda_tries_their_best
Summary: Dee shares a bit more of himself with Patton.Roman and Logan start setting up their new home.Virgil struggles to catch up with his family.
Relationships: Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders & Logic | Logan Sanders, Morality | Patton Sanders & Deceit Sanders
Series: Lost and Found - Zombie AU [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1410031
Comments: 37
Kudos: 107





	1. Once Bitten, Twice Removed

**Author's Note:**

> Soon I can actually work on wrapping stuff up. It's been almost a year since I wrote Left Behind and like I'm kinda sentimental over it? I also have no idea what to write for the next two chapters but we'll get there probably
> 
> On a side note, I drew that one scene between Patton and Deceit in Making Friends if you wanna look at it
> 
> https://goodjobmiranda.tumblr.com/post/190129691169/goodjobmiranda-we-were-certain-he-was

The bite on the boy's leg still hurts, the fever made his head fuzzy and he couldn't focus. The body next to him was a comforting sort of heat despite how sweaty and gross he feels, arms wrapped around him and keeping him close and safe.

There's also the threat of him turning any second, usually the other would be smarter than to sleep so close but the bitten kid could hardly complain about not being alone while he feels so miserable. So if they decided he wanted to risk being eaten for the chance to keep him close a little longer, well... Call him selfish but he's going to take everything he can get. It's the only relief he can't find while the sickness ran through him, he was constantly shivering and fighting constant nausea.

But it all cuts away, one moment Deceit is curled up on the old couch with his brother, the next he's shuffling outside with _Her_.

He doesn't even realize what's going on until he's hit with ice-cold water, it seeps through his shirt and burned his nose-

It wasn't water.

_It's gasoline._

The world blurs as panic sets in, one moment he's in front of the woman who promised to protect them in the forest and the next he's in front of the door to the cabin, his lungs burning as he breathes heavily but he swings the door open with a slam. The next events pass by in flashes, his memory gaping from either the infection or the trauma.

His brother is in front of him, speaking way too quickly and asking questions that the younger boy can't even hear.

Anx pulling him forward, holding him close as he shouts at what Deceit assumed to be _her_ approaching.

Then brightness, Dee doesn't even remember it hurting at first but soon enough he was screaming as the gasoline was lit by a match and flames danced up his body.

Then Deceit is on the floor, fire been put out and flesh charred. Anxiety is fighting with their former neighbor and when Deceit blinks Anxiety's on the floor next to him, eyes shut and blood pooling on the old wood around them. The boy tries to reach out but liquid agony shoots up through his arm, making him blackout for who knows how long.

He wakes up cold, strangely enough. Despite the fresh burns still feeling hot and painful, there's a chill that sinks deep into him and he'll find never leaves. He's alone laying in a puddle of his brother's blood but his brother or the woman is nowhere to be seen, the left side of his body is pretty much useless. He's left lying there shivering with a coldness that sends shocks of pain through his body, no one comes back for him but he finds the infection from before doesn't take him either.

He's left alone.

* * *

When he wakes up for real he can still smell his burnt flesh- No, no wait, burning pine? Patton has the fire going still which explains why he's warmer then he usually is, he just wishes that he could get this level of warmth without triggering _that_ dream.

"You up, kiddo?" Patton's cheery voice mixes in with the pops of burning wood, giving Dee some incentive to open his eyes and look over at the older teen.

"No." He answers curtly, closing his eyes again and rolling onto his right which is, unfortunately, facing towards Patton but it's not like he'll get any comfort laying on the left. "I'm dead."

_"_ Oh, well that's a shame. I don't think I can make it to the _wake_ , you couldn't catch me _dead_ at one of those." Deceit fights back a smile as he hears Patton shoot closer because Patton isn't funny at all. "I'll just be _morning_ over here."

The younger boy scoffs. "It's barely sunrise." Even so, he makes himself sit up and rub the sleep from his eyes, peeking through his fingers to see Patton hand him a half-empty can of whatever they're eating this morning.

"It's probably more around noon, bud." Deceit looks up and sure enough, the sun is shining bright above the little clearing they're in, Patton gets up and stretches out his arms. "I'm gonna need your clothes, you can change into mine if ya want but you should go get cleaned up too."

It takes Patton quite a bit of coaxing to get Deceit down to the stream, the kiddo had all of Virgil's stubbornness but unfortunately none of his hygiene habits, not that the teen could really blame him because Virgil had been just as difficult to get washed up at first. It was a mixture of apathy, insecurity and the fact that it doesn't seem like anyone really taught him any good habits that made it so difficult.

Still, after a compromise to let Deceit wear a pair of his shorts into the water and to tone down the bath puns, the kiddo had begrudgingly agreed to get all the grime off himself while Patton washed up their clothes a little further down the stream.

The teen doesn't have to go very far for Dee to feel like he has some privacy, Patton figured out pretty quick that the other boy couldn't see very well both by both subtly having to lead Deceit around and taking note of the glossiness in the boy's eyes which just sparks sympathy in his chest. Patton watched Logan get headaches constantly from his glasses needing a prescription change and he himself had to constantly be careful with his glasses as they already have a pretty noticeable crack in them but at least he could still see for the most part of he did take them off, it's been two weeks since he's started moving with the kid and he's watched how every night Deceit would jump and look ready to run at the littlest bump in the night.

How terrifying it must have been to be all alone and half-blind. Patton couldn't even express his worry, Deceit carried the same wild look in his eyes that Virgil once had, the one that screams that he'll run the moment he needs to and never look back. It's like someone hit restart on their little adventure only this time Patton didn't have Logan or Roman to help him but...

But there's a tiny little itsy bitsy selfish thing inside Patton that likes to be relied on again.

It makes him feel bad, Roman, Logan, and Virgil were all very independent and could rely on themselves. Patton was usually the one that had to lean on them for support for everything but Dee-

Well, Deceit could probably take care of himself too, he has been for years probably but the sight of the kid sparked up that old dad side that Patton once had. The little bit of him that used to volunteer to watch his cousins and neighbor's kids because he just loved to be needed and help people.

Deceit has no issue letting Patton do most of the work anyway, the kid will help if Patton asks him to but has no problem just sitting back and letting the older teen keep himself busy with most of the chores.

The teen finishes up quickly, washing away the grime and heading back up to their little camp to hang the clothes to dry. Deceit's already by the fire pit again, having stolen Patton's blanket to add with his own for warmth. "Oh, look at that! There was a handsome young man under all that muck!" The teen resists the urge to ruffle the kiddo's hair, having already been taught the hard way that Dee will punch him if the boy doesn't get enough of a warning or see it coming.

"Ugh." Is the only reply he gets but Patton notices the subtle way Dee ducks his head and stares off to the side.

"Now, that best not be some self-depreciation going on in that noggin of yours because I'll have to fight you." Patton threatens with his hands on his hips, watching the younger boy fight back a grin.

"I could take you."

"Oh, could you?"

Deceit chuckles and nods. "You're too soft, probably wouldn't even hit me."

Patton ignores the pang of his heart at the thought that someone's probably hit this kid before. "Now who said anything about hitting?" The teen grins wickedly. "I bet ya can't escape my Patton pending hugs."

"Oh fuck."

"Language!" Patton gasps. "Now you're really in for- Hey!" Suddenly a blanket is thrown in the teen's face, by the time he manages to shove the fabric off Deceit is halfway to the creek. "You can't escape love!" Despite having a head start Patton is able to catch up(probably because Dee had let him) and pull the smaller boy into a tight hug, his experience with Virgil allowed him to not even think twice about the hissing kiddo in his arms.

Eventually, Dee gives up with a huff, letting Patton hug him for a solid minute before he squirms again. "That's enough." He says and the older teen releases him immediately. Deceit rubs his arms a bit, looking uncomfortable without his millions of layers of clothing and Patton could see the old scars that run along the left side of his body but what really caught his eye was an old mark on his leg. Deceit's never worn shorts around him before, kept most of his body hidden and Patton can understand why this time.

Patton's fine with the burn scars, they were there and none of his business and behind them is a sweetheart that's seen way too much badness in the world(Patton ignores the fact that he's not that much older than him) but the scar on Deceit's leg made him take a step back. Behind his eyes he sees flashes of Virgil's bloodied leg, of his friend pale and sickly and dying- he asks without thinking-

"Is- Is that a bite?"

Deceit feels his heart freeze, a sudden sharp reminder of how exposed he is. "No." He says on instinct. "That's stupid, I'd be dead if it was a bite." He forces himself to keep a relaxed posture, painting on a thin smile as he eyes up the older boy. He got too relaxed, let his guard down, how did he get so soft in the small span of a few weeks? "Do I look sick to you? It's not even fresh, i'm-"

"Hey, hey now, kiddo, it's okay." Would Patton hurt him? Did he kill Virgil? Would Dee have to kill him to get away? He... Deceit really doesn't want to have to do that. "I'm not- it's okay, I'm a little panicked right now too but I trust you."

Deceit had to focus to see Patton clearly, the older boy had raised his hands and was giving Dee some space like he was a wild animal. "What would you do if someone was bitten?" He immediately cringes after saying that, nothing like screaming suspicious but Patton doesn't move.

"I- well, I don't know what I'd do but I'm- I wouldn't hurt you and I'm not-" Patton's voice chokes up with emotions. "I'm not leaving another friend behind."

Deceit, against all his better judgment, believed him. He doesn't like it, he hates that weird needy feeling in his chest that doesn't want to let Patton go, that doesn't want to let this little piece of his brother go. "What would you do if I- if someone was bitten a long time ago but didn't die?" The twelve year old tries to swallow the lump in his throat, still on edge and ready to fight.

Patton's quiet for a moment. "Well, I always knew you were an ankle biter-" Deceit changes his mind, he wants to kill Patton. "But I won't do anything? You're- uh, this someone-" Patton corrects when the younger boy glares at him. "Is still okay, right? I don't need to be worried?"

Deceit feels like his world is shattering, splintering like glass. Patton's eyes light up with concern as all the tension drains from the boy's shoulders. "You believe me?" Dee use to tell the few people he would travel with when it was new, no one believed him, he's been told not to make things up like that like he's just a kid playing pretend or assumed he was recently infected and just haven't gotten the fever yet, one time a special kind of idiot assumed his burn scars meant he was half infected. Eventually, it was just easier to tell them nothing or claim it was an old dog bite.

"Of course I do." Patton's voice is soft as the older boy takes a hesitant step forward.

Of course Patton does. Deceit sucks in a sharp breath, trying to time his breathing to stay even. Of course Patton does. Patton, whose first response is just worrying, no fear, no mistrust, just concern for a stupid kiddo in front of him.

Deceit is too busy in his own head that he doesn't notice Patton right in front of him until a heavy weight is thrown over his shoulders. He reaches for the familiar dark fabric, looking up to see Patton's shoulders bare for the first time they've seen each other. The younger boy grips onto his brother's sweater, it's worn and the fabric is thinner then it used to be and the stitches are in the wrong place. Running his hands along the inside he can feel where there have been rips that have been sewn carefully shut.

"Can I hug you, Dee?" Patton draws his attention away from his inspection, holding open his arms.

Deceit thinks about it, dragging his thumb along the seam of the pocket. His head just feels fuzzy now, he doesn't know if he wants to cry or hideaway with his brother's hoodie until he wastes away or maybe both. He shakes his head, appreciating it when Patton only nods and lowers his arms.

"I think it's why Virge didn't come back." Deceit says numbly. "Why would he come back for a corpse, right?" Maybe Anx did come back but it was after Dee had left, if he had just dealt with his hunger and the burnt smell would they have stayed together? "I think maybe the fire burnt the infect out, don't want to test that theory though."

Patton carefully rests a hand on his back, giving him time to pull away and leading Dee back to their camp when he doesn't. "Do you want to tell me what happened?"

"Not yet. I don't want to think about it but... Later, maybe."

"Let's just focus on right now, then."


	2. A Dying Spark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman was waiting to explode, to be hit with waves of emotions once everything settled down.
> 
> What comes over him is a lot more quiet.

Roman did not want to get up.

He laid on an old lumpy bed under multiple blankets in a weird musty smelling house second closest(Roman had refused to stay in the first house, not only would it be the first place someone would break into but it was also a very ugly green-yellow color.) to the road that leads out to the highway from this one street of houses that apparently didn't count as a hamlet because there's a church on top of the hill according to Logan.

Beads of light poured in through the open window, lighting up dust partials in the air like little dancing fairies. Logan was supposed to wake Roman up at sunrise to go check the fish traps with him but it looks like he was allowed to sleep in, given the silence of the house Roman could assume that his nerd went out on his own to work.

Roman should really get up, maybe try and catch up to his friend or finish cleaning up the house they chose to stay in, he could go out and water the little garden Logan started up despite the fact that it probably wouldn't grow anything before winter hit or wander around the edge of the street to make sure no undead wandered close.

There are lots of things he had to do.

Roman really did not want to get up.

He felt exhausted despite the fact he's been sleeping a lot more than usual, he's sure Logan has noticed his low energy too and allowed Roman extra rest when the nerd stood watch and Roman really appreciated the quiet care but his tiredness didn't seem to go away.

He thinks for a moment that this might be what Patton went through, on those days where the boy had a hard time doing anything and often spent most of the day tucked up beside one of them and cried until he ran out of tears or the days that Virgil spent looking like his mind was in a whole other place, where the emo barely spoke and looking like someone just kicked a puppy. It was always heartbreaking to watch, a silent foe that Roman couldn't fight so all he could do is offer support.

Roman really did want to get up, he wanted to go out in the sun and work so that he could show off when Logan returned and tease the nerd about how he had to do all the heavy lifting but he just...

He didn't want to get up.

Time flies and Roman's pretty sure he dozed off again because when he came too the room is darker, still daylight outside but direct sunlight didn't shine in through his window anymore telling the teen that it's at least been a few hours and if that doesn't give it away then the soft knocking on the door signaling that Logan's return certainly does.

"Princey?" Logan calls out softly as he slips into the room, standing at a distance while Roman works up the energy to sit up but just doing that makes the teen want to curl back up under the covers. "Have you been in bed all day?"

Roman's throat tightened with guilt as he muttered out an apology but Logan just shook it off, stepping forward until he could sit at the edge of the bed.

"I'm not angry, it's-" Roman looks up to see Logan staring out the window as he speaks. "It's okay if you need a break."

Roman isn't really sure what to say, his body just aches and his heart is numb. Roman was preparing for a storm of emotions once everything settled down but the waters were still and lifeless.

"It's not your fault, Roman," Logan says quietly, the nerd turning to meet the other teen's eyes. "I've been... Frustrated, a lot but nothing that happened is your fault, okay?" Roman almost winces with the softness in his friend's voice, it's the same tone Logan would get when trying to comfort one of the others. It hasn't been directed at the dramatic teen since they were back in school and Logan found him crying over a boy in a bathroom stall.

"I know, it doesn't bring them back though." Roman's voice doesn't sound like his own, it's empty and lacks his flare but he guesses that's probably his whole thing right now. He wouldn't be surprised to look in a mirror and discover he's turned monochrome with how the world feels so dull.

The two boys sit in silence for what feels like hours but in reality, its only a few minutes.

Logan steals glances at Roman, watching how the blankets rise and fall with his breathing.

Logan and Roman have been friends for a long time. Logan has seen Roman shatter under all the weight he puts on himself and has seen the other teen explode like a supernova with repressed emotions and Logan had always known what to do.

But this time is something far too quiet and subdued, the boy next to him didn't look like Roman.

Logan let out a deep sigh and rubs his eyes, the low light of the room is straining his vision, he's starting to feel a headache forming but he chooses to ignore that fact for now. "Alright, let's go." He stands up from the bed.

"What? Go where?"

Logan doesn't wait for very long before taking Roman's hands, gently pulling to get the other teen out of bed. "First, you're going to eat and drink something. Even if it's just something small, I know you're likely not feeling hungry but it's important to try and you can always finish eating whatever you start later." The nerd waits patiently as Roman struggles out of the blankets without his hands, deciding not to point out that his friend could just let go. "Then, we'll..." He trails off for a moment, trying to think of an activity, something useless and low energy. "The house over, you dislike the color? Let's paint on it."

Roman's eyes almost sparked at the idea but it wasn't enough. "I don't think we have enough paint for an entire house, Lo."

"No, we very likely don't." Considering the fact that they used most of it painting on the truck for Patton. "But we don't need to, we're just painting on it whatever we feel like and we can add to it should we ever come across more paint."

Logan felt his heart flutter when Roman snickered a little. "But you're a terrible painter and you hate the mess." Despite the weak protests, the dramatic teen is following Logan down the stairs, still looking subdued but he didn't expect everything to fix with one idea.

"You're right but it would be nice to make sure I still have my constellations memorized." Logan says as he forces a can of peaches at his friend, he wishes he could find apples for Roman, dry them out to make those disgusting apple chips that Logan can't stand the texture of but Roman seems to adore.

"Oh, I could paint a castle or a little kingdom and you can add the stars to the sky! If only it wasn't on that horrendous yellow, what were those people thinking?" Roman grumbled half-heartedly as he works on opening the can.

"It was probably a different color when they painted as it's likely been sun-bleached over time."

"So what you're saying is that it was probably an even uglier color?"

When Roman takes a seat to pick at the peaches he's been given Logan sits close next to him, their shoulders pressed together. "I believe you had adamantly told me once that no color could possibly be ugly, that all colors were "unique and worthy in the rainbow of life." If I recall correctly."

"Ugh!" Roman exclaims before finally popping a peach slice in his mouth. "That me had never seen that house before and he was a better person for it."

Logan for once is the one to keep the conversation going, refusing to allow the quiet to fill Roman's head again and leave him feeling alone. Roman needed a distraction right now, something to keep him moving until they can figure out something better and work through the actual issue.

It's temporary, Patton would know how to address it better but Logan is the only one here and he'll learn.

He has to, for Roman.

Lord knows Logan would do anything for his friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not entirely happy with this chapter, like I like it but you know, I did my best and I think I got my points across okay even if it didn't turn out how I wanted it to
> 
> Next is Virgil! we finally get an update on that loser! That poor lonely boy!


	3. It's almost over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil follows the clues his friends leave behind, for better or for worse as he realizes they started leaving things intentionally for one of them.

Virgil honestly doesn't remember how he did this alone. He couldn't tell if the lingering sickness was slowing him down or if it was the weight of his mental state.

The time between losing his brother and meeting his friends was a blur to him, a haze of panicked instincts and repressed mourning he never really dealt with until he stumbled upon a bunch of kids his age and used their group as a distraction until the pain faded.

Now all of Virgil's old scars are bleeding with new ones and he's not quite sure what to do without anyone to help him bandage them up but he keeps moving. It's the only he can do, moving through the shadows and grabbing what supplies he can while trying not to slow down too much. Virgil has to admit it's easier to move faster while alone but it's also likely in part to the bite.

It had taken him longer than he cared to admit to realize it but the undead seemed rather... Uninterested in him?

It took almost walking directly into one of the infected and freezing in panic for him to realize that if he held still then the things would just walk right by him. Sometimes they looked at him too(which was always incredibly unnerving) but as long as he moved slowly and kept quiet, they didn't seem to realize he wasn't one of them.

Of course, if he moved suddenly or made noise they would decide he was a good snack and try to grab him but it's so much easier sneaking by them when he doesn't always have to worry about being completely hidden.

It makes it easier to find the signs his friends have left behind too. Those little marks are the only things telling him that he's on the right path, Virgil had hated them initially because it always felt like someone could track them down by it(and that's exactly what Virgil's doing) but now it's a blessing.

He almost cried when he saw the first mark, first and last building of a town. If entering the town and it's on the left, that's where they entered, if entering a town and it's on the right, that's where they left. A star, a crown, a heart, and a...

They were drawn in coal, Virgil's lucky it hasn't rained yet or it may have been washed away.

His cloud is still drawn, higher then he would have drawn it but still with their group and not left behind like he was expecting.

It gives Virgil hope. It's really stupid that it does, it's just a stupid drawing after all but it makes it feel like he's still with them. Each town he passes he can tell who marked each one. Patton always makes the marks big, so does Roman but Patton has a less steady hand so any markings are a little sloppy and less neatly sketched in like princey's fancy artist hands. Logan's marks are smaller and easily made, both he and Patton never draw the swirls right on Virgil's cloud because Patton just forgets them and Logan just kinda draws lumps in a vague cloud shape.

Virgil's hope and amusement for the markings shatter when he stumbles upon a town infested with the undead and sees the leaving mark or rather, doesn't see the leaving mark. He wastes two days circling the town, checking each house on the edge to find nothing.

God, please, they can't be gone.

He wastes another day in a house on the outskirts of that town, trying to get a hold of himself. There are other reasons there's no mark, there have been times where they had to rush out of a place with no time to stop. They didn't leave any leaving marks in the city Virgil got bit in, this town was full of undead so maybe they just had to leave quickly.

It takes him a full night to convince himself to head to the next town, he knows the direction they were going so he can just find the marks there. They have to be there, Virgil can't think about what he'll do if they're not there.

Virgil didn't stop down that road to sleep, he usually did. He became too paranoid and stopped functioning when he didn't at least take a few hours to rest at night but he keeps moving until his lungs burn and his feet hurt until he sees the welcome sign of some not important town and charges for the first house on the left and nearly faints when he sees the marks.

"Thank God, oh fuck, thank you." He's not ashamed to admit he cries, leaning on the side of a house with sketched in markings of a crown and a star with a heart and cloud above them...

Above them.

The heart is next to Virgil's cloud, away from Logan and Roman's symbols.

"No, oh no, no nonono!" Patton's not with them, they marked Patton with Virgil and they think Virgil is dead so what does that mean?

Virgil can't think about what that means. Virgil doesn't process when he moves, stumbling through the town like he's actually one of the undead and finding the leaving mark the same.

His memory is a little fuzzy after that, Virgil wakes up and finds he passed out on the side of the road. He manages to take a rest after that, hiding away to sleep and pretend that one of his friends aren't maybe gone.

He's glad he did, he's so glad he eased upon himself to rest because otherwise, he may have missed how every once in a while there were hearts. Hearts that were either carved into trees or drawn with whatever is laying around, the few Virgil finds marked with coal look like Logan's drawing, neat and small and not as extra as Roman's.

They're still drawing hearts, they're leaving a trail of them.

It's really stupid. That's so stupid, anyone could follow these hearts and find them, they're practically begging to be robbed in the night. What are they thinking?!

They're leaving a trail for their heart.

A small hope, a little bit of pressure eases up from in Virgil's chest. They wouldn't do this if they knew Patton was dead, this also gives something for Virgil to follow easier. He wouldn't have to backtrack to their last mark if he stumbled upon a town with no entry mark anymore if he can follow the hearts so easily.

And they make it easy.

At some point, the hearts become less common, down long stretches of roads or where there aren't as many trees but Virgil just has to keep going straight until he finds the next one. It gets better and worse the longer it goes on, better because Virgil knows he's getting closer, can just feel it in his gut. Worse because their hearts don't stop, they keep going which means that they still have to because Patton hasn't caught up to them yet.

Some points Virgil zones out while he's traveling, just moving and barely eating and chugging back water. He only stops when his body starts to ache too much, he knows it's not healthy but he's so close. Patton may not be with him but Virgil wants to hear Logan's voice again, wants Roman to crush him in a hug, he wants to steal Roman's stupid varsity jacket because he feels to bare without his hoodie, he wants to curl up with his friends and pretend the world isn't shit.

Virgil has a panic attack when he sees a truck with "Patton" and a bunch of hearts painted on it sitting on the side of the road in a forested area. There's sloppy writing on the back telling him to stay here and it breaks something inside the teen.

He doesn't know if it's because of how many signs they've passed left by strangers for unknown people that Virgil always assumed they never found.

He doesn't know if it's because of a delayed response to everything he's been through, each monster he narrowly dodged, every person he snuck around because he couldn't risk them questioning the handcuffs still locked on his wrist, every night spent alone in the darkness.

Maybe it's because he misses his brother, he remembers returning to the cabin with blood caked under his nails and not even finding a corpse to bury and no time to mourn because he just had to keep moving and it felt like he just relived that heartbreak and loneliness all over again.

Maybe because it's almost over, if Lo or Ro come here looking for Patton then they'll find him and it'll finally be over and he won't be alone anymore.

It's almost over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This look so long because like, Virgil's alone and I wasn't sure how to make a satisfying chapter with him just following shit.
> 
> At first, I thought I could shove Remus in here and like have Virgil run into him and think he's Roman and have Remus be like "Nah man but good to know my bros alive" and maybe travel with Virge for a bit before going off on his own because he can't be tamed by any group and like that could have been really fun but every way I wrote it kinda felt forced so if Remus shows up it might be as like some oneshot extras I plan on doing maybe

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be a chapter for each character but Dee and Pat got mixed up with each other so now it's just for each group which will probably be easier to write
> 
> but surprise! Both Virgil and Deceit are immuneish to the infection! Probably the only good thing they got from their parents
> 
> I almost scrapped line where Deceit thinks that being set on fire burnt the infection out of him but I thought it was a pretty neato line so I had to rewrite that scene a few times to fit it in


End file.
